St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-06-16
BoDYKE EvICrIONs.
Exciting Scenes i'm an Irish Neighbour
hood.
Correspondence N. z. Post.

lOo' ni"i "inSs uiuS, uinS, hopt "
since early morning, when the bugle
called in the skirmishers. The police
and soldiers debouched upon the road
showing fourteen emergency men
skulking along in the middle, their
crowbars slowed in q cart behind them
One unanimous yell of hatred and fury
rose from the crowd, which fell back
before the police until the road was
cleared Then the fusiliers were di :.
vided into two companies and placed
on either side of the cabin. The con-
stabulary, formed up shoulder to shout
der in a ring, completely encircled it.
| The place was barricaded, so the door
was left undisturbed. The sheriff, q
man known Familiarity to the crowd as
"CrOcker, of .Ballynagarde," dressed
in sporting suit of tweed, with a
shooting helmet and leggings, stopped.
A moments cOllOquy took place be-
tween him and Captain Miller, r. N.
An instant later half-a- dozen crow
bars went into the mud and plaster
wall. Almost simultaneously q storm
of execratiOn broke from the crowd
which made every other sound inaudi-
BILE. So long as the process of evic-
ton lasted curses at the sheriff and at
the agent, and most ingenious and
bloodthirsty insults to the crowbar
men, and cheers for the "plan of cam
lpign," for Davitt, and for the priests
| filled the air. Meanwhile the emer-
gency men worked with WILL Stones
and great fragments of plaster ratified
down from the wall. In five minutes
a gap was opened big enough to ad-
NIT man. In went the baliffs and
out came John Liddy, the tenant. The
din redOubled at his appearance.
The eviction began by handing out a
few bits of furniture, a can of milk
and a bundle of flowers. These last
were characteristically seized and kept
by Michael Davitt as touching me-
mentO of the occasion. Then a cry
was raised for sledge- hammers. Two
big ones were handed into the gap.
The sounds which Immediately ensued
indicated that the centre of the inter
est had been transferred to the inside
of the cottage. So l climbed through
the hole, lodging pieces of broken fur
niture which came flying out. The
inside air was sitting with dust and
heat, for the windows and doors had
been blocked since early morning.
The sight was CHASTITY one. A
bedstead, All interesting old cupboard
seven or eight feet high, and other
things were being smashed up by blows
from the sledges which were whirling
about over ones head. Considerable
pieces of them were passed out of the
window, two feet square. Little
enough there was, however, to fling
out. Soon the crOwbar men had rough
ly piled up a wall of stones into the
gap they had made. John Liddy
handed to the sheriff bill rapidly
written for him by Father Hammer.
The crOwbars were piled into the cart,
and the police closed slowly round the
emergency men and escorted them
away. The command "By tours,
march," sent the redcoats along the
road. The visitors closed in behind
them, and the screaming crowd follow
ed.
This was the first eviction. The
second was far more dramatic and ex-
citing. 1t was at the house of the
widow Mcnamara.
The process of surrounding it was
precisely similar. In view of the elab-
crate solid blockade of the door and
windows, short council was held.
Then this house too was attacked.
The crowd had greatly increased in
volume and excitement. A hole was
soon made, about three feet by two, at
the height of mans waist from the
ground. The sheriff stood hard by.
The leader of the crOwbar men en-
couraged them with such cries as
''Heave away, my men," "Pitch the
stones in on them" "Heave them in"
Then, when at the last big blocks fell
inward amid a binding cloud of dust,
he shouted: "Get in, my men get in."
But saying and doing were different
things. The hole was filed by the
faces of the family-three sturdy
young fellows, two finelOOking young
women, and the pleasant old face of
the eighty-year old widow, surround
ed with its white frilled cap in the
background. There they all stood
shoulder to shoulder. 1t was evident
from their set teeth and flashing eyes
that they had not the slightest idea of
giving way.
"Get in my men, get in, will you p"
yelled the leader.
Not they not a man stirred. Crock
er, of Ballynagarde, swOre under his
breath and called upon the district in
spectOr to order his cOnstables to clear
the way. There was second pause.
Then the cOnstables grasped their
rifles and sprang forward. Instantly
all was Babel. Several Englishmen
present, carried away by their feel
ings, interposed between the tenants
and the police, yelled at the top of
their voices to make themselves heard
above the clamOr, and told the officer
he must not act thus the first person
to enter must by law be bailiff, not
the police. But it was too late. Jen-
nings, in charge of the cOnstabulary,
called to the men to get in. The Roy
al Irish are not men who hesitate.
Three of them leaped at the gap. The
men and women inside fought like tig-
ers to push them back. For moment
all was confused. The scuffle and ex-
element was at its intensest, and |
expected every instant to see the flash
of firearms from the inside. Then the
cOnstahles were in, and the crOwbar
men entered in their wake. A formal
protest was then made against the il
legal entrance. The commanding Of
ficer and divisional magistrate retired
to consult. They were understood to
admit the illegality, but this must of
course be decided elsewhere. CrOcker
of Ballynagarde came forward exclaim-
ing, "My people were beaten with
sticks" statement which Father
Glynn, jolly young priest, met with
the retcrt, "YOu're liar" and appeal
ed to all present to confirm him which
they did.
Then the women inside get hold of
the crOwbars and flung them out. |
entered the house now and found a
struggle beginning between the ten
ants and the sheriff.
81 want you to move out" said the